Youth Academy

Day 4 - Love in the Flesh (Incarnation)

News from the intersection of divinity and humanity as DYA celebrates the Incarnation.

Theme

Incarnation

Faculty Speaker

Dr. Warren Smith, Associate Professor of Historical Theology

Lectionary Texts

Exodus 3:1-5, Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 2:1-20, John 1:1-18

Quotes from the Last 24 Hours

“Just as there is never a time a flame does not give light, so too is there a never a time the Son was not with the Father.” - Dr. Smith in plenary

“Nicaea put into words what the church taught all along.” - Dr. Smith in plenary

“It’s not often we get to hear the story [of the incarnation] against the backdrop of a summer sky… without the tinsel, lights and presents… without sentimentality.” – Rev. Nathan Kirkpatrick, during evening worship

“This is delicious” - Nearly every student during the hospitality dinner.

Reflections on the Lecture

In Plenary this morning Dr. Smith explored with us the mystery of the incarnation, that, as John tells us, “The Word became flesh.” From the beginning this claim of Scripture led Christians to ask two big questions: “Who is Jesus?” and “How did the incarnation bring salvation?” And from the beginning Christians answered the question of Jesus’ identity just as Peter did (“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”) with the stunning claim that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine – a claim that results in Christians understanding God as Trinity. Dr. Smith addressed the question of the incarnation’s effects by considering the answers of two early theologians. Irenaeus argued that Christ completed and perfected creation while Athanasius said that the coming of Christ renewed the image of God. In both cases, because God comes to us in human form we are shown what it means to be truly human – and this revelation clearly informs how God calls us to live today.

Other activities

Perhaps the highlight of the day was our dinner with Urban Hope, a ministry in the Walltown neighborhood of Durham “focused on bridging spiritual and economic resources to youth and families.” The students in their summer program – most of whom were 14 or 15 – were divided into two teams who each cooked, prepared, and served a meal. Half of us ate Hawaiian, the other half Greek – but everyone was fully satisfied. The meal was actually a competition between the two teams, but there were no losers that night. We were blessed by the hospitality and graciousness of these young people. At DYA we learn that it is at the Table that we are formed in the likeness of Christ.

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Welcome to Youth Academy

This journal offers a glimpse into teaching sessions, service projects, lectionary texts and worship experiences at the Duke Youth Academy, providing a sense of the daily patterns and practices that shape students throughout their two weeks on campus.

Theme: Life in the Spirit: The Church as a Community of Reconciliation
Faculty Speaker: Dr. Mary McClintock Fulkerson, Professor of Theology and Director of the Program in Gender, Theology, and Ministry
Lectionary Texts: Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 104: 1a, 24-35; Romans 8:14-27; Acts 2:1-14a, 22-47